Return of a Villain
by posh101
Summary: Shishio has come back from Hell and meets with Soujiro. What could Shishio want from Soujiro? And what are his plans for Kenshin and the rest of Japan? A soufic, no romance here. Rated T to be safe, for violence and the supernatural stuff.
1. Unfinished Business

Okay people, this is the first chapter of my first ever fanfic. This is a Soujiro fic, okay? No mushy gooey romance here, got that? This chapter will feature mostly Shishio for the time being. Please RandR, but go easy on me, I'm open for some constructive criticism but remember, I'm a newbie. I'm not very sure I got my research right, so please bear with me. Lastly, I know some of the people are a little OOC, so again, please bear with me. Hope you enjoy!

Oh yeah, one more thing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I wish, but I do not.

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Chapter 1: Unfinished Business

"You've finally done it." Yumi said.

"Hmmm…"

"What's wrong...Shishio-sama?"

Shishio had taken over Hell, which is…well, was ruled by Amatsu-Mikaboshi. It had not been an easy task, it took many decades. But this time, as Shishio had predicted, was relatively easier than taking over Japan. In Hell, there were only evil people, so no one really cared who conquered them and did not fight back, because Hell could not get any worse, it was hell for Pete's sake. Shishio's only conflict was Amatsu and his demon army, but of course, Shishio had his own army. Many of Shishio's followers in his former life were already there before he, Yumi, and the others came, and soon many more followers arrived. In fact some of the evil people who did not even know Shishio before, joined him, seeing his growing army. And of course, it helped that Shishio no longer needed a 15-minute limit. After many brutal battles against Amatsu, Amatsu simply disappeared; Shishio took this as surrender, for he had gained the upper hand during the last battles. And then Shishio sat himself upon Amatsu's throne, gained incredible demonic powers, and was now the god of Hell.

"What's wrong Shishio-sama?" Yumi said again.

"I was just thinking of something…some unfinished business" Shishio replied.

"What do you mean? You have everything you ever wanted, you have your kingdom, millions of followers, and you have…me."

"That's not what I mean; I mean unfinished business back on Earth."

"Oh…_that_", Yumi replied in a relieved voice.

"I just can't bear the thought that the Battousai is still out there, with his bunch of merry little friends, alive!" Shishio was getting a little moody now.

You see, time on Earth did not pass as speedy as Hell. Fifty years in Hell, was only one year in Earth time.

"Well Shishio-sama, you do have those cool demonic powers now, you could just pop up there and teach Battousai a thing or two"

"You are forgetting one thing Yumi; up there I won't be as stable I am down here. It'll be like before; I wouldn't be able fight at my best, I'll have a time limit again, I want to at least surprise Battousai and make him suffer a slow death…" Shishio kept ranting on.

"Ehem!" Yumi cut Shishio short. Shishio paused

"But you do have that _other_ power don't you?" Yumi explained

"I can see your point, but where will I find…" Shishio again, was cut short.

"Soujiro is still alive isn't he? It's only been about four years up there. I've been keeping my eye out for that boy, and believe me Shishio-sama, that brat's improved." Yumi said smugly.

"Yumi…what would I do without you?" Shishio was pleased now, pulling Yumi towards him.

And in the palace of Hell, a sinister, baleful laugh was heard.

In the forests of Japan, Soujiro was there, camping out in the cold dark night. He was in his fifth year of wandering. His physical appearance had not really changed greatly since the time in Kyoto. His face was still of a child, though he had matured a little bit. His baby blue eyes were still mesmerizing, but there was wisdom there now. His dark hair had grown, and he now kept it in a neat little ponytail. Regarding his height…well, height isn't really that important. All in all, he was still more of beautiful than handsome. But inside, Soujiro had changed dramatically. He had emotions now, not that strong yet, but it was there. Also, he was searching for his truth now; he wanted to have a purpose. In addition, he was committed to follow Himura-san's truth for the time being, while he searched for his own: _The strong shall protect the weak_. And this made him happy. In lame man's term, he was one of the good guys now.

But _that _smile was still there, although he could smile a true smile now, the emotionless, defensive smile never faltered. It was just part of his system. Even though his face was now able to show anger, sadness, etc., the smile always crept back on his face involuntarily. But it wasn't all bad, it did make getting odd jobs easier, people saw him as a good and friendly person, people who did not know who he was. Also, it still did wonders during battles.

Soujiro looked up the night sky.

"Well, it's been four years Himura-san." Soujiro said to himself

"I wonder what new adventures I'll be having this year." Soujiro smiled, and then abruptly stopped.

Soujiro rose quickly, putting his hand on his sheath. He had felt a strange aura, menacing and ominous, yet somehow eager.

"Who's there?" demanded Soujiro, calmly yet still holding a firm voice.

Soujiro then realized that this aura was somehow familiar. There was something behind it though, something he could not put his finger on, there was something terrible behind this sensation. Then he gasped, he had recognized this aura. But it was impossible, how could this be possible!? He felt overjoyed, at the same time incredibly horrified.

"Shi…Shishio-sama?" Soujiro muttered incoherently.

A dark figure appeared behind the trees.

"I'm glad you still remember me…Soujiro"


	2. A Look into the Past

Here's chapter 2, basically a look into what Soujiro has been up to during the last few years of wandering. Hope I got the spelling of certain words right.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin (sigh...)

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Chapter 2

"Where are you going?" Anji said,

"I'm off to find my own truth"

And Soujiro at that moment became a wanderer, off to find his own truth. In his journeys he had encountered many new things. Things he would have not cared about during the time he was under Shishio. One of these was looking for a job, a wanderer needed to do this every once in a while. But it was never really that hard though, his smile made him look like a friendly person and his skills made doing each task effortless. He rarely needed to sleep outdoors, and at times, due to his boyish appearance and charisma; some people would even let him stay at their place for free. For Soujiro's first year or being a wanderer, he traveled constantly, he wanted to see the world that was kept from him, and things were quite simple. All he needed to do was to get a job from time to time, and avoid the police at all times that have put a huge bounty on his head. But this wasn't too hard, if he ever needed to, he could just use his Shukichi to get away.

But after a while, he felt bored and needed to do something. And since finding his own truth was getting nowhere he decided after a long time of pondering, to follow Himura's truth for the time being, maybe he would find his own truth along the way. He started protecting the weak. But unlike Kenshin who made an oath to never kill again, Soujiro made no pledge. He killed people who he saw as oppressors of the weak, but he killed only those who he believed to be evil and would not change. However he did not like doing this, he felt guilty for taking lives. His newly acquired emotions were still not very stable, yet he managed somehow. He kept calm most of the time, and later he discovered that he could temporarily shut off his emotions if it be needed. But he did not like this too much, he also did not like the fact that he still had his emotionless defensive smile, though it came handy at times. He faced many fierce competitors, mostly bounty hunters who had discovered his identity or was sent by the government. Some were easily defeated, but some were better than the others. And since he saw that these people didn't need to be killed, he had a harder time dealing with them. He thought how hard this not killing thing must have been for Himura-san. And these confrontations improved his skills even further. But as time passed, he noticed how the bounty of his head got lower, it looked like the government was still keeping Shishio a secret from the country, and Soujiro was just too involved with Shishio, people would wonder who Soujiro was to have such a huge bounty on his head. So the bounty hunters who came grew less in number, but the ones who did come were special fighters sent by the government. They wanted to capture Soujiro as soon as possible, fearing that he may spread the word about Shishio. But all of those special forces were defeated, and soon there were even less confrontations Soujiro had to face. The government saw that no information about Shishio was leaking out and that all their fighters were being beaten, the government had given up.

Soujiro was having an easier time after that. And he found that doing good had its own perks. People whom he had saved gave him their thanks, and some even gave him rewards. Though he tried to reject these, people insisted that they did some way to thank him. And he liked the feeling of helping people, it made him feel happy, and it eased the guilt of sometimes having to kill some people. All in all, he was satisfied with his new life for the moment.

Though through his journeys, he had met some of the remaining Jupponggatana at times, though none dared to turn Soujiro in, for they knew that this task would be impossible. Also, he had discovered that there were still a lot of Shishio's followers who were left. And when these people had a chance to speak to Soujiro, they told him how they were willing to follow him. They wanted Soujiro to continue the work left by Shishio and lead them to what they believe to be a better Japan. And in truth, Soujiro could be capable of that, but of course, Soujiro had declined their offer and moved on his way. But these people were really persistent; they gave key locations where certain people were found that Soujiro could contact if he ever changed his mind and decided to take over Japan. He felt pity for those people; these people who were made to believe something that was untrue and have now lost their purpose in their lives, clinging to whatever thing that may lead them back to their former existence. He saw that their dedication towards Shishio in the past was now trying to direct itself to him. But he did not want to go back to his former life; he liked what he was doing now.

Then during the start of his fifth year of wandering, in one night, as he was camping in the forest, he had felt a strange aura. And this confrontation threatens all of what he has worked for and with it, the risk of his former life coming back.


	3. Evil's Homecoming

Chapter 3

Here's chapter 3, it's going to get a little confusing from this chapter onwards. I strongly advise you to read the endnotes later to avoid confusion in future chapters. Anyways, enjoy and please review.

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It was a cold dark night in the forest and something horrible was about to take place.

"Shishio-sama!" Soujiro exclaimed

Shishio chuckled and then stepped into view and appeared before Soujiro. Shishio's appearance had not changed since Soujiro had last seen him, he was still the bandaged man Soujiro had served in the past; a man who should have been dead over four years ago but was standing before Soujiro. Shishio then approached Soujiro and was now standing about three meters away from him. Soujiro could feel Shishio's odd aura radiating from him, but he does not back away. Rather, he relaxes his body, takes a deep breath, and focuses his eyes on Shishio and scans the person in front of him; involuntarily, his defensive smile creeps back on his face.

"I see you still kept that smile, boy."

"I guess it's sort of a reflex." Soujiro said with a tense smile

"Not to seem rude Shishio-sama, but how can it be possible that you are here in front of me right now?" Soujiro paused to compose himself

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Soujiro asked in a boyish voice, he still acted and looked too young for his age.

Shishio grinned at Soujiro's comments, and sat down in front of the fire. Soujiro followed this and sat to the right of Shishio, though a good one and a half meter away. Then Shishio put his hand across the fire. At first Soujiro was quite surprised, then this turned into confusion, he saw that Shishio's hand was not being damaged.

"Soujiro, let me tell you a little about what Hell is like"

Then Shishio started describing what Hell truly was, and about the war he had fought there. He gave little details, only the important aspects. Shishio's retelling lasted only about ten minutes, but he mentioned in the end of course that he was the new god of Hell and that he had acquired certain demonic powers which made it possible for him to go back to the land of the living. Soujiro's awed yet nervous face while Shishio told the story amused Shishio. He saw that the boy showed signs of emotion now.

"Well now…but what brings you back to Earth Shishio-sama, moreover, what business do you have with me?" Soujiro asked

"That war, though rewarding, still has left me unsatisfied."

"I can't stand the fact that the only one that has ever defeated me is still alive."

"And that the government which I have sworn to destroy still stands." Shishio said disdainfully.

"Soujiro, according to Yumi, she tells me that you've improved since the time in Kyoto. You must be bored with your life right now, always hiding from the government, never staying in any one place; like before, during those first years of your training. Now is your chance, help me bring down the Battousai and this accursed Meiji government. It will be different this time; these demonic powers will be the key to our victory."

Soujiro was shocked with what he had just heard. He did not want that; he did not want to kill the innocent again; he did not want his old life back. Yet he was terrified at what Shishio might do to him if he were to decline his offer, or rather, demand. Then he saw that his expression was starting to puzzle and irritate Shishio. Then he took a deep breath and stood up.

"Shishio-sama, as much as I am grateful towards everything you have done for me in my youth, I'm afraid that I cannot accept your offer. I do apologize, but it seems that your presumptions are wrong. I am quite satisfied with my life now, and I do not wish to challenge the Battousai or the government." Soujiro said with a calm voice.

The forced smile on his face was now replaced with a tranquil smile. He was reminiscing on how his new life had filled him, and how Himura's truth had made him feel content.

"What do you mean, boy?" Shishio said with a firm yet irritated voice

Shishio had stood up and was facing Soujiro. Shishio shot a perplexed and angry look at Soujiro. Soujiro reflexively backed away and his serene smile had reverted back into his defensive smile.

"Well?" Shishio cussed at him.

"Don't get me wrong Shishio-sama, I'm not that much of an ingrate that I would stand in the way of your plans. It's just that I am content with being a wanderer. I do apologize for this Shishio-sama, but I've been helping the weak. And by doing this, as you have said, I have improved my skills. So please forgive me for this, but I'm afraid that I cannot assist you in you plans." Soujiro said nervously. He had backed away from Shishio and was now about five meters away.

Shishio sighed and looked at Soujiro with disappointment.

"I guess I should not be that surprised that you have emotions now." Soujiro twitched a little from this comment.

"You were defeated by that ex-hitokiri turned philosopher and protector of the weak. But I'm afraid boy that you have no choice but to follow my command. You see, as powerful as I am now, I am not very stable here(Earth) as I am in Hell. I cannot use my strength and powers at their full potential too long, let's say for about fifteen minutes, without the risk of receiving some damage if I stay in my present form. I need a vessel. And that's where one of my powers comes along. I can either force a command on a person or completely overshadow them. But I need someone with great skill, because my skills are not transported but only my powers are transferred, and that's only when I'm completely overshadowing someone; and I can only control one person at a time. And so Soujiro, that's where you come along. Besides the Battousai, you're the most skilled fighter I can think of."

Shishio looked at Soujiro, who now had a horrified expression on his face, understanding what Shishio is planning for him.

"Now boy, I can't force my command or overshadow you with this much distance between us. I originally planned to overshadow you only when I was going to face the Battousai, I assumed you were going to be obedient, but it seems that you're not going to comply with me and I have to watch you more closely. I'm afraid I'll have to take you down by force."

Shishio frowned and pointed his sword towards Soujiro. Soujiro unwillingly sheathes his sword and accepts this challenge.

"And don't try to run away from me with your Shukuchi boy, I'm faster than you now."

Then Shishio disappears before Soujiro and in less than a split second is in front of him. Soujiro dodges at the last moment, but he doesn't get off without any damage. His right shoulder is slightly wounded. Then Shishio backs away.

"I must remember to not harm you too much, I can't use you if you're dead."

Then he charges once again at Soujiro. Soujiro uses his Shukuchi to avoid Shishio's attack and tries to get behind Shishio.

"I told you boy, I'm faster than you now."

And before Soujiro could realize it, Shishio is already behind him. Shishio chuckles, and hits Soujiro's back with the dull side of his sword. Soujiro stammers but is able to land on his feet. The force of the impact of Shishio's attack causes him to cough some blood. Then Shishio stands in front of him, about four meters away.

"Don't make this any harder on yourself boy." Shishio said in a passive voice.

Soujiro looks up, devoid of his emotions. He had turned off his emotions now, but there was no defensive smile on his face, just blankness. He was at his strongest in this form. Then he poised to get ready for an attack.

"I see…it seems that you are able to turn your emotions on and off. Well then, let's see how much you've really improved boy." and Shishio also gets ready for an attack. Then both fighters disappear.

"Shun Ten Satsu+"

All becomes still. Then the fighters reappear, though none seem to be moving. Soujiro is the first to break the stillness, he relaxes his shoulders and turns to face Shishio. But as he turns to face his opponent, he is shocked that Shishio is still standing, he watches as the wounds his attack had inflicted start to heal at an incredible rate. Then Soujiro feels the weight on his own body, he starts to cough up blood and he drops his sword and kneels on the ground. He had been hit, but there were no wounds visible. He guessed that Shishio was really planning to use his body and that he didn't want it too damaged. The attack Shishio had placed upon him was only meant to paralyze his body. He watched in horror as Shishio was moving towards him.

"I'm quite impressed boy; you were actually able to land that last attack. If I'd still been a mortal, you could have actually killed me." Shishio mused

Then Shishio grins evilly at Soujiro who is now standing less than three feet from him, panting heavily.

"Don't you want to be my right-hand man again?"

"Don't…you mean…you tool for…your foul business!?" Soujiro says in a labored voice.

"Hmph! Just for that, the overshadowing won't feel as pleasant for you as I had planned."

And in that cold dark night, the silence was broken by a horrifying painful scream.

* * *

+Translated as "Instant Heaven Murder", this is Soujiro's ultimate attack

Okay, let me explain a little about Shishio's powers, but before that, I'll explain why he needs a vessel. It's because his form is unstable in Earth. He can only last about 15 minutes of fighting, anything beyond that would cause him some damage(I know, it lacks originality). And if he sustains enough damage, he will be forced back to Hell.

Now, the overshadowing is different from the mind control thing, okay.

Mind Control- this is just more of a forced order from Shishio. Shishio would give an order to whomever he's controlling, note that Shishio will still be inside that person's head, and that person will forced to follow. The person will still be able to feel what he is doing though(think involuntary movements). But the skills of the person shall not be affected, and the demon powers can't be used either. Note that this shall only affect the person's physical actions, not his thoughts.

Overshadowing-this is when Shishio is in complete control. It will be actually Shishio moving the person he's in. Though the demon powers can be used, Shishio would still rely a lot on the physical endurance, flexibility, speed, etc. of the body of the person he's using. But if the person is killed while still being overshadowed, Shishio shall sustain enough damage to be forced back to hell.

this shows how much Shishio would rely on the vessel's skills

I know my logic is kinda messed up, but that's just the way it is. Hope you continue reading the story:)


	4. Just Like Before

Chapter 4

It's chapter 4, okay let me just explain something here so you won't be getting confused. First you must have read the endnotes in chapter 3, alright. Now, italicized words are conversations which are going on in Soujiro's head. Meaning these are not thoughts, they're said words which cannot be heard by the other people around, but only Shishio and Soujiro can hear it. And when Soujiro says something which isn't italicized, it means he's talking out loud. Shishio may answer him in italicized words, meaning that he's talking in Soujiro's head.

Now that's over with, please enjoy chapter 4

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Rurouni Kenshin

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It was a dull cloudy day which followed that night. Soujiro walks down the forest path, yet something is different from him. His once bright baby blue eyes are now a dull gray, and his gait seems shaky. To a bystander, it may just look like the boy needed some sleep, but something horrible was really behind this.

"_You know boy, I'm still pretty impressed how much your skills have improved."_

"_Shut up."_

"_Stop being so stubborn, tell you what, I'll stop overshadowing you for now if you stop trying to fight me."_

"_I wouldn't count on that."_

"_You know what boy, as long as I'm overshadowing you, I think I'll take a look at what you've been up to while I was gone."_

"_What do you mean!?"_

"_Don't panic Soujiro, it's just that one of my powers allows me to take a look at the memories of whoever I'm overshadowing. Now then,"_

"…"

"_I see, I'm glad that you still kill some of those weaklings."_

"_No…no! It's not the same as what I used to do. I only kill those who truly deserve it. I had to kill those people in order to protect the weak!"_

"_Quiet! I'm getting sick of all this talk about protecting the weak. It's time I teach you a lesson boy."_

Soujiro had walked out of the forest, and before him was a small village. Most of the people were still sleeping, it was only about six in the morning, and the thick clouds only made people want to sleep in some more. Then Soujiro's eyes focused, it was no longer gray, it was back its normal color. But his eyes, as they scanned what was before him, turned into a look of complete horror. Shishio had stopped overshadowing Soujiro, but still kept some hold on him, preventing him from running away. And as Soujiro stood over the village, he understood why Shishio let go of some of his control over him.

"_Soujiro, it looks like it has come to this. I can see that you have grown too fond of the weak. Now, I know that if I kill all these people while still completely overshadowing you won't teach you much of a lesson, but if I force you to obey my command…"_

"Wha-!?"

"_I order you to-"_

"No! Please! I'll do whatever you want!!"

"_-kill all of the people in this village!"_

And then Soujiro's muscles stiffened. Soujiro tried to fight his body which was now trying to move on its own. His body was trying to get into a crouch, readying itself for an attack. Slowly, his right hand started to draw his sword. His left hand was now starting to bleed; Soujiro had pushed his fingernails into his hand in an attempt to stop his movements.

"P-please, I'm begging you…" Soujiro eyes were starting to show some tears.

"_Now, attack!"_

And then Soujiro gave out, he had lost his control over his body which was now moving on its own. He then dashed to the nearest hut. Inside the home, he walked towards the bedroom where a man and woman were still sleeping. He approached carefully and stood beside the bed. He pointed his sword over the man's throat and swiftly cut it open. Fresh blood spilled over the bed and stained Soujiro's face. The woman woke up and saw the horror beside her, and then she looked at Soujiro, hands and face stained with blood. She was about to give out a scream when Soujiro put his hand over her mouth and plunged his sword into her chest. Soujiro pulled his sword out of the corpse and looked at himself in its reflection. His face was completely distorted with horror. In the red reflection, his face was in complete shock, and his tears were now pouring over his cheeks, leaving a straight line over his blood stained face.

"_Boy, I don't like that face you're making. Put on a smile, won't you. And try not to get yourself too bloodied up; you're going to look too suspicious in the next town we're going to."_

And in an instant, a smile was suddenly pasted on Soujiro's face. The angelic smile greatly contrasted his blood stained face. Soujiro wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve and then dashed to the next house.

But the occupants of the next house Soujiro entered were awake this time. A family now; Soujiro could see the mother in the kitchen, and he saw a girl, about the age of five, playing with her father. The father looked up at Soujiro, and then focused on his blood stained sword. The father put his daughter behind him and was about to stand up in defense. But Soujiro was too quick, before the father could stand up, with two quick slashes; the father and his daughter were dead. Then Soujiro heard a loud shriek, the mother had seen his act.

"Help me!! Please someone help me!!"

Soujiro looked at the mother and then smiled an even more saintly smile, like an angel of death. He remembered these words the mother was now shouting were the words he shouted during that night, and with a quick dash, he slashed the woman's back as she tried to run away. He stepped aside before he could be sprayed with a new gush of blood. But as he was going out of the house, he saw that some of the villagers were already out, they have heard the woman's frantic calls and they now looked at Soujiro. Then Soujiro sighed and tapped his foot. The male villagers were shouting at him now. And more were coming out of their homes.

"Who the hell are you!"

"What were you doing in there!"

"Answer or else we're gonna' kill you!!"

Soujiro gave a slight chuckle then went into Shukuchi, and in less than a second, ten heads had fallen on the ground. There was a mass hysteria of screams and shouts, and even more villagers came outside, only to be killed. The feeling of cutting and slashing so many bodies really sickened Soujiro, yet his muscles were screaming with joy. His body had missed this feeling, it hadn't tasted this much action in a long time. It felt so familiar; it was like riding a bike, his body never forgot how to do this. And the slaughter continued, until the noise got quieter and quieter and quieter, and there was silence. The only noise Soujiro could hear was the sobbing of a child. He went to the noise, and saw a little boy sitting by his newly deceased parents. The boy was about ten years old, and then the boy turned and saw Soujiro's smiling face. Then it started to rain, and Soujiro came closer and closer to the boy. It was like a mirror image of himself so many years ago. The boy looked up at Soujiro with begging eyes, full of tears. Then Soujiro gave the boy his most serene smile and started to speak.

"I'm sorry, but you are weak,"

And with one slash, the boy was no more. Then Soujiro looked up at the rain, exactly like how he did before on that fated night.

"But then again, I'm weak too."

……………………………….

"_Will you be obedient now Soujiro?"_

"Yes, Shishio-sama." Soujiro said with a smile.

"_I see that many of my followers and some of the Juppongatana are still alive."_

"Yes, that is correct."

"_It's time we pay a visit, don't you think so Soujiro?"_

"Whatever you say, Shishio-sama"

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If you got confused at anything, please feel free to ask any questions in your review, I'll be glad to answer them:)


	5. Reunion

It's chapter 5! Sorry for the late update, I was busy with my exams, just ended today, hurrah! Remember, you should have read the endnotes of the previous chapters to avoid confusion. Well, please RandR, enjoy:D

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, it's a sad reality

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Chapter 5

All of the remaining Juppongatana were gathered in a deserted building, just along the outskirts of Osaka. The five of them: Cho, Henya, Kamatari, Anji, and Saizuchi had all received letters requesting this meeting. They guessed that Iwanbo was not there because…well, he was pretty useless anyways. And Fuji was just way too suspicious-looking. The reason they all agreed to attend this meeting was that they've heard some rumors that for the past four months, someone had been gathering the remaining of Shishio's followers, and they were all quite interested.

"So what've you been up to Cho?" said Kamatari,

"Nothing much, the jobs the government's giving has been pretty much boring."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." said Henya.

"I'm surprised you're here, Anji." said Cho.

"I decided to take the government's offer one year ago; I realized that my skills would be of better use this way. Putting that aside, I was already quite interested when I first received this invitation." Anji then showed his invitation. It was printed on expensive paper in gold ink.

"Whoever's gathering us must be pretty damn rich to send these kinds of invitations." said Kamatari.

"I think that what is more important here is not the quality of the invitations, but I do admit that this person has good taste. But it is the fact that whoever is responsible for all of this was able to find us." interrupted Saizuchi.

"You've got a point there old man; I mean the Juppongatana was an alleged government secret, no one was supposed to know where we were. Heck, I even received my invite when I was in America one month ago." said Kamatari

"Whoever's in charge here knows what he's doing." said Cho

The Juppongatana were still busying themselves in their conversation when someone new came inside. The person was dressed in marvelous clothing, the best money could buy. He walked towards the Juppongatana all too cheerfully and greeted them with a smile.

"Woah…what the heck have you been up to Soujiro!" said Kamatari

The Juppongatana, except for Soujiro of course, were quite surprised with the boy's appearance. He hadn't changed a bit, still so young looking, even the hair, Soujiro had his old hairstyle back now. But what surprised them was the quality of his clothes; they heard that Soujiro decided to become a wanderer from Anji and Cho. But now, it seems that the boy got a little sidetracked. Soujiro only smiled wider from their expressions.

"Well I guess you got an invitation too." said Cho, and then continued.

"You must have already heard that someone's been recruiting the remaining of Shishio's followers. Tell me boy, do you have any idea who the heck's pulling the strings here?"

Soujiro only laughed angelically at Cho, and then the rest of the Juppongatana eyed Soujiro.

"Forgive me for laughing Cho-san, but the one who's pulling the strings here is none other than me."

And Soujiro waited for their reactions. The rest of the Juppongatana were frozen, not believing in what they have just heard. Sure Soujiro was quite capable, but they never thought that the boy would ever dream of doing something like this.

"I think I underestimated this boy." Saizuchi said to himself.

"No way…" mumbled Kamatari.

"Soujiro, are you serious?" said Henya.

"What the heck are you thinking Soujiro!?" exclaimed Anji

"Oh it's nothing really; I guess it just can't be helped…" Soujiro frowns for a millisecond then smiles again.

"Now the reason for this meeting. You see, as you may have heard, I've already recruited most of Shishio-sama's remaining followers, who were all quite willing to follow me. I've also gathered more soldiers and established a base in Okayama and Kanazawa. We already have sufficient funds, supplies, and weaponry. But the force is only about a fourth of what Shishio-sama had. And now, I'm asking for your assistance. Please, will you help me in achieving what we had failed to accomplish before and create that new and better Japan we had once fought for?"

The Juppongatana were amazed at what Soujiro had accomplished, even a fourth of what Shishio had before was no laughing matter. They were stunned at first and then they began to seriously think about what Soujiro had said. If they joined him, it would be pretty risky, and they would be sure that if this failed, the government would no doubt kill them this time. But then again, life's just been pretty boring. Especially for Cho who had once said that he's just doing this underground stuff until the next big thing comes up, and it looked like this was it. Only one of them openly disapproved and rejected Soujiro's proposition.

"I cannot allow this blasphemy! Soujiro, I thought you would change for the better when we last met, but it seems that the exact opposite has happened. I challenge you!"

Soujiro's smile dropped, and his face was emotionless.

"Anji! Are you out of your mind, it's the Tenken for crying out loud!" exclaimed Cho,

"You won't stand a chance!" said Kamatari,

"That may be so, but I can't stand here and do nothing. Now Tenken, prepare yourself!" shouted Anji.

While all of this was happening, Soujiro was having another conflict in his mind.

"_That monk is getting quite annoying, don't you think so Soujiro?"_

"_Please don't make me do this-"_

"_Being difficult again aren't we boy. Come on, we don't have time for this, look, your opponent is already charging."_

"_No, I won't!"_

"_Sigh…"_

And then Soujiro's baby blue eyes turned into a dark black and that strange aura started to radiate from him. Anji was now about to land a Futae no Kiwami on the boy when Soujiro suddenly faced him, and blocked the punch with his right hand, absorbing its shock. Anji was stunned, sure the boy was strong, but there was no way he could stand after receiving a direct hit from that attack, let alone completely cancel out its damage with just one hand. Then Soujiro grabbed Anji by the neck with his left hand and held him up. There was no way that this was possible! Soujiro then faced the rest of the Juppongatana, who were completely flabbergasted now. They saw that the boy's appearance had somehow changed, they saw that something horrible was going on with the boy, you could tell even just by the feeling his aura was giving off. Then Soujiro spoke, but it was not his voice. But this voice was still familiar, yet they still could not place their finger on it just yet.

"Whoever dares to challenge me has only death awaiting them!"

Then a strange dark purple flame erupted from Soujiro's left hand, and it quickly spread over Anji. The Juppongatana twitched as they heard Anji's chilling screams, yet this lasted for only about a minute, the flames were quite fast. Then the color of Soujiro's eyes came back and he started to pat his hands to get rid of the ashes. He smiles and then faces the remaining Juppongatana and talks in an all too cheerful voice again.

"Will you join me now?"

And the Juppongatana can only nod nervously, too scared to talk, because of what they had just witnessed. Soujiro then flashes an even wider smile.

"Thank you, I'm very happy with the course of action you have chosen." Soujiro said in an even happier tone.

Then he continues but now he lets his smile drop and says something with the hint of melancholy.

"I told you that it was something that couldn't be helped." And he puts on his smile again and starts walking towards the exit of the building, the rest follow him.

"Oh and by the way, just in case you were wondering; Fuji won't be coming anymore, he proved to be a little… stubborn, just like Anji."

* * *

Just for those who didn't get it, this happens four months after chapter 4. Also, try to look at a Japanese map for reference of some of the places that were mentioned. And please, if you could, leave a review, thanks!:D


	6. Forced Out of Retirement

Hurrah! It's chapter 6. It took a long time for me to put this chapter up because I had a huge writer's block. And I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the next chapter cause I really don't have much of an idea on what'll happen next, but I'll try my best:) I finally got my first review and I'm really sohappy, I'm glad you like the story so far. Well, please enjoy this chapter and I'd appreciate it if leave a review, thanks:D

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, but I wish I did

* * *

Chapter 6

_There is a huge empty space and only darkness can be seen. It seems as if it stretches into infinity, and the silence is deafening. But then, something interrupts this stillness._

_Slash. Slash. Whoosh. _

_It is a faint noise but then a new sound emerges. Chilling screams, enough to make anyone's hair stand on end. But then the screams get softer and softer and softer…until there is only silence again._

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

_There is a new sound, and it's getting closer._

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

_This accompanies the sound of the walking, and then a figure comes into view. It appears to be a young man. The sounds are coming from this person. The tapping, obviously, is the sound of walking. But the dripping…it's from the liquid soaking his sword and covering his face, making him unrecognizable. It's blood._

_Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop._

_The dripping gets closer and faster. But it's not from the figure's sword nor face anymore. They're tears coming down from two pools of baby blue eyes. Then the young man comes closer and closer and stops. The figure has a crazed expression on his face, smiling like a madman. And he says something, in a completely flat voice,_

"_You really are a liar, you said you'd protect the weak. Where were you then…and where are you now?"_

_Then the mad smile disappears, and anger is now seen on the young man's face. He shouts something; the rage can be felt in the single sentence he utters,_

"_Why won't you save me!?"_

Kenshin awakes with a gasp and abruptly sits up. He clears his head of the strange dream, and then looks over to his wife, Kaoru. Then he looks over to his son, Kenji, who's in the middle of his parents in bed. Kaoru and Kenji are still sleeping, and Kenshin guessed that nobody else is awake in the dojo as well; it's only about five in the morning after all. He gets up from bed and walks out of their room, deep in thought. Kenshin strolls into the garden and then hears the cawing of a crow+. He sighs.

"Soujiro…"

* * *

It's breakfast time at the Kamiya dojo.

"Man Kaoru, after all this time I've been here, your cooking still tastes like crap." jeered Yahiko.

"What did you say you little brat!? You should be happy I'm still letting you stay here. Show some gratefulness once in a while you freeloader!" shouts Kaoru.

While all hell was breaking loose, Kenshin was still deep in thought about the dream he had last night.

"Kenshin is something bothering you?" said Kaoru in a worried tone.

"Yeah Kenshin, you're a little off." said Yahiko

"Oh, please don't mind me, I was just thinking about something." replied Kenshin.

"Hmmm, what are you thinking about, it looks like you're thinking about something very serious." said Kaoru,

"It's like one of those looks you get when something big is about to happen." said Yahiko

"I hope it's not something bad, not something where you have to fight…because Kenshin promised to never use a sword again." said Kaoru, in an even more concerned voice.

"Don't worry Kaoru, I promised, right?" said Kenshin, trying to comfort his wife.

"Looks like you have to break that promise, Battousai." said someone in a smug voice,

The last comment came from Saito on the patio, standing by the entrance of the dining area. Saito was in his officer's uniform, what else, skinny and pale as ever.

"Saito-san, what brings you here?" said Kenshin.

Then someone behind Saito rushes towards Kenshin and says in an excited tone,

"Kenshin! You're never gonna' believe this, but the Juppongatana are back!" said Sano.

Sano had come back from his travels about a year ago, and still pretty much looked the same. Everyone pretty much looked the same.

"What do you mean? All the remaining members of the Juppongatana are working for the government now, aren't they?" said Kaoru, in an alarmed voice.

"Well not anymore. Get this, all of them suddenly disappeared two weeks ago." replied Sano.

"Saito, is this true?" said Kenshin, in a startled tone.

"Sigh…I would have told you this first, but that idiot over there wouldn't let me through until I stated my reasons. But yes, it is indeed true." said Saito in an annoyed voice.

There was shock and then silence, Saito was the one who broke the silence.

"I'd like to discuss this matter further with you privately."

"No, why does it always have to be Kenshin to solve all the problems?" cried Kaoru.

"Yeah, isn't there someone else that could handle this." said Yahiko,

"Whatever you have to say to Kenshin squinty-eyes, I think we've got a right to hear it as well." exclaimed Sano.

Saito was getting annoyed and put his hand over his forehead. Kenshin calms everyone down and speaks in a composed manner.

"Kaoru, Yahiko-kun, Sano-san, please allow me to speak with Saito-san for the moment, I promise to tell you what it is about later, alright? Oh and Kaoru, please go to Kenji-chan for the moment, it's about time he be waking up."

"Fine, but be sure to keep your promise okay, both of them." said Kaoru in a concerned voice,

"Hai hai." says Kenshin.

* * *

Saito and Kenshin are now in a room; both are facing each other, sitting in a tea table.

"You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep Battousai."

"I believe you had something you wanted to tell me, Saito-san."

And Saito becomes dead serious and starts conversing with Kenshin.

"As you may have heard from the rooster head, the remaining members of the Juppongatana who've worked for the government have all disappeared."

"That would be Sawagejo Cho, Kariwa Henya, Honjo Kamatari, Yukyuzan Anji, Saizuchi, and Fuji, if I'm not mistaken."

"Right."

Then Saito lights a cigarette and begins to smoke. Kenshin asks him what he wanted to tell him that it needed to be a private conversation.

"You see Battousai, I've got a number of spies stationed all over Japan. And lately, I'm not liking what they have been reporting to me."

He tells Kenshin that his spies have been observing a lot suspicious activities recently. He tells that those who were suspected of being former followers of Shishio had been on the move, and there have been large gatherings of shady individuals all over the country. Saito then tells Kenshin that he thinks that someone is organizing an army against the government, just like Shihio's.

"My spies also tell me that they believe to have seen some of the missing Juppongatana attending and managing a number of the gatherings."

"Who could be behind this? It'd have to be someone very powerful and someone who had strong ties with Shishio's forces. Could it be one of the members of the Juppongatana who'd gone missing?"

'That would be highly unlikely, up until they disappeared two weeks earlier, someone's kept a close eye on them. But the suspicious activities already started a few months ago. But it would still be possible that it was one of the Juppongatana, one of those who were never captured." Then he pauses for a moment and continues.

"Well, the fat one, I believe who was called Iwanbo is out of the question, that one's far too much of an idiot. Now all that leaves is--"

"--Seta Soujiro." Kenshin finishes the sentence.

"This was the matter I wanted to talk to you about. A group of my spies claim to have seen a young man, with black hair and blue eyes, leading a group of Shishio's former followers and some of the missing Juppongatana, they say it appeared that he was the one giving the orders. But they were unsure of this because they couldn't believe someone who looked so young and charismatic could be the one calling the shots."

"Do they not know who Soujiro is?"

"They only know the faces of the Juppongatana who were captured because they had worked with or heard of them. The Tenken was never made known to most of the police force because the issue about Shishio was meant to be a government secret, and Soujiro had just too many ties with Shishio and the rest of his forces." He pauses and breathes a puff of smoke and continues,

"But it appears that we've underestimated the Tenken, and because of that, it seems that we're about to face a new battle. Now as much as it pains me to say this, but I am requesting your assistance to put an end to this matter before it gets out of hand."

Kenshin remains silent for a while, thinking about what he had just heard. He then speaks.

"Soujiro is a very powerful man indeed, he was Shishio's right hand man after all, the most powerful of the Juppongatana. And there is a good chance that he has improved quite a lot since my last encounter with him. But now, if he plans to follow in Shishio's footsteps, I'm afraid I cannot allow that."

"I'm guessing that's a yes?" said Saito with a smirk.

Kenshin nods.

"Well then, I'll be arranging the transportation and the resources, we leave in five days. We'll be going to one of the alleged hideouts to investigate, hopefully get an idea of how big of a threat they are and maybe find out where their main base is."

Saito got up and walked towards the exit, but before he left, he said something to Kenshin.

"In the meantime, I suggest you practice your skills Battousai. Hope you haven't become rusty." he then leaves.

Then Kenshin was again lost in thought. He was having an internal monologue,

"_Soujiro, are you really the one behind all of this? I thought you changed when we battled in Kyoto. You said you wanted to find your own truth or have you truly decided to follow Shishio's truth instead? …But what about that dream. Soujiro…what happened to you?"_

After a few minutes of deep thinking, Sano, Yahiko, and Kaoru came inside the room.

"So what did squinty-eyes have to say to you that was oh so important that we needed to leave?" Sano said disdainfully.

Then Kenshin only smiled and then faced Kaoru who was holding Kenji. He puts his hand on Kenji's head and closes his eyes as if in deep thought. He sighs and says,

"Sorry Kaoru, but I'll be needing my sakabato+ back."

* * *

+in Japan, the cawing of a crow is a bad omen

+Keshin's sword

Well, that's chapter 6, hope you liked it. And again, I'd really really appreciate it if you left a review, thanks:D


	7. A Grand Welcome

It's finally chapter 7, I'm real sorry for the long wait. I had a huge writer's block, but I finally came up with this chapter:D Now, chapter 8, that'll be another problem, but I'll do my best. I think that in this chapter, the characters would be a little OOC, dunno' why, I just have this feeling. Please RandR, I would really appreciate any suggestions or feedback, it would really help me(and make me work a whole lot faster:D) Well then, please enjoy:D

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, but I want to

* * *

Chapter 7

"Man! I still really can't believe that Soujiro-sama had finally agreed to lead us." enthusiastically said one soldier,

Two soldiers, in the Kanazawa base were actively conversing on the past events regarding Soujiro Seta's rise as their new ruler.

"I know, I wonder what made him change his mind. They say that he was so different after Shishio-sama died. I had heard from the ones who had met him during that time, they said that he turned to some sort of a…do-gooder rurouni! I guess he got fed up with that shit, probably couldn't take it anymore. And now, in less than five months he already has this massive army! Soujiro-sama is truly amazing!" replied the other soldier; you could see what great adoration these people had.

"No less from the former right hand man of the late Shishio, in fact he may even surpass him. And I hear that Soujiro-sama has managed to gather and convince the remaining of the Juppongatana to join us…well most of them, I hear that the monk got canned."

"To your posts! Soujiro-sama has returned!" shouted another soldier.

There was great stir all throughout the base. Rows of soldiers immediately lined up beside the pathway; its master had returned. Soujiro entered along the middle, followed by Cho and Henya.

"All hail Soujiro-sama!" someone shouted,

"ALL HAIL SOUJIRO-SAMA!" the rest of the army shouted.

Their voices echoed all throughout the forest where the base was located, it was a good thing that this base was near the open ocean, far from any large towns which could've heard the loud cheering, giving out its position.

"Whoa! This welcome is even bigger than the one that happened in the Okayama base, don't you think so Henya?" said Cho, amazed by the reception he had just witnessed.

"I agree, but more importantly, this base has to be at least twice the size of the last one." replied Henya.

Suddenly, Soujiro appeared right behind them. This sent chills behind Cho and Henya.

"I'm glad you like it." Soujiro said all too cheerfully,

"_This kid is gonna' give me a heart attack!"_ thought Cho and Henya simultaneously.

"You two will be managing this place when I'm not here, as Kamatari-san and Saizuchi-san are doing right now in the Okayama base. Well then, let me give you a brief tour of this place."

After showing Cho and Henya around the area: such as the harbor, where numerous boats and a large ship lay ready, or the many training grounds, where hundreds of soldiers practiced their skills; Soujiro lead them to the mansion.

"This place is huge! And the mansion's huge too! How the heck did you have this place made in such a short time?" asked Cho,

"Well…the port and the training grounds are quite easy to establish with sufficient funds, and the mansion was originally owned by the landlord in this area, and with just a little persuasion…well, you know." and Soujiro flashed them a smile.

"Right…" replied Cho.

After giving them a look at some of the important parts of the mansion, Soujiro headed for the southeast hallway where they came upon a staircase heading down towards a basement of some sort. Soujiro started going down, and he motioned for the two to follow. The basement was deeper than Cho or Henya thought, about thirty meters below the ground. Below, the place was still well lit and it is where a large metal door stood, around six meters tall.

"What's with the doors?" asked Cho, and Soujiro only gave him a smile.

"Open the gates," said Soujiro,

"Yes! Soujiro-sama." replied the soldiers stationed at the place.

The large doors started to open slowly, and Cho and Henya could not believe what was behind those doors.

"Henya-san, I believe this is your area of expertise," said Soujiro, and he flashed an even brighter smile, at the sight of the frozen expressions of his companions.

LINE BREAK

Three men were standing in the forest plotting very something important; a mission that if failed, could spell disaster for the rest of Japan.

"I say that we just form an ambush, and just beat the crap out of anyone who's there! Come on, we could take those guys." said Sano.

"Has the time on the road been messing with your head you imbecile? A simple lack of caution could-" said Saito, who was suddenly cut short,

"Yeah yeah, you're the one who's always right, aren't you squinty-eyes." replied Sano mockingly.

Saito looked as if he was ready to Gatotsu the living daylights out of Sano when Kenshin interrupted their argument.

"Now, now, I'm sure both of you are just a little moody from the trip from Tokyo to Osaka, but let us try to avoid wasting precious time and energy, shall we?." said Kenshin, trying to calm down his companions.

"Hmph" was all Sano could reply,

"_Sigh…I don't know why I even let that rooster-head come here."_ thought Saito as he lighted a cigarette.

"I suggest we scan the area first and see what we're up against. Then we'll decide whether to attack or not." said Kenshin

"Fine with me." replied Sano.

"Saito-san?" asked Kenshin, and Saito gave a slight nod.

"Alright then, let's get going." said Kenshin.

The three were headed for Kobe, the location of one of the alleged hideouts. They had travelled from Tokyo to Osaka by carriage with a police escort for the past few days; but had decided to travel alone from Osaka onwards to minimize the chances of being detected. And now their destination was right in front of them. It looked like a small military base, but instead of uniformed soldiers, the place was occupied by a bunch of suspicious-looking people.

"It looks like this base isn't that large, nor are there any skilled fighters, just a bunch of hoodlums." said Saito smugly,

"It'll be about ten to fifteen for each of us." said Sano, ready to charge at any moment.

"Hai hai, but let us not forget why we're here now. We're here to get some answers." said Kenshin. And they started dashing off into the base, hoping to get those answers.

* * *

Well, that's chapter 7, thanks for continuing to read my story. Please feel free to ask any questions(but not about what's behind the door, that's a surprise:D) ,reviews are highly appreciated, _very_ appreciated.


	8. Interrogation

It's been a while since I uploaded a new chapter, but here's chapter 8. Just in time for the first day of the year, well please enjoy:D

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, I'm getting tired of saying this.

* * *

Chapter 8

"Well, I'm all finished here…Yo Kenshin! How about you?" shouted Sano,

"I believe that these are the last of them." replied Kenshin; pointing at the pile of unconscious men.

It hadn't been much of a fight at Kobe, which was one of the hideouts of those wanting to join Soujiro's army. From what the three had observed, this was just a recruitment base; seeing that there was only a small number of weapons and supplies that could last for over a couple of months, or the fact that these guys were total amateurs. They won't be getting much information here, but they had to make do.

"Hey Kenshin! I think this guy's the one in charge here, he was sitting all comfy in the main tent when I found him. I bet we can get information off him." said Sano, while dragging a man on the ground.

"Now Sano, please let the man go." said Kenshin,

"Tch! Whatever…" and Sano let go of his grip, then walked off to lean on a nearby tree.

Then Kenshin faced the man. The man tried to look for a way to escape but only to be met by Sano's gaze.

"You guys might as well kill me now, because I'll never tell you anything!" shouted the man. Then Saito appeared out of nowhere and pointed his sword at the back of the man's head.

"Oh really, that can be arranged." Saito's voice put the guy's hair stand on end.

"Al-al-alright!!! I'll talk! P-please just don't kill me!!!" screamed the man.

"Hmph! What a wimp." mumbled Sano.

"M-my name is Baiko Ichimonji, me and a few other officers were stationed here to recruit as many followers for Soujiro-sama's army."

"_So it really is Soujiro…"_ thought Kenshin.

"Well Ichimonji-san, what else can you tell us." said Kenshin,

"Th-there's a base in Okayama and two of the Juppongatana are there." said Baiko.

"Is that all?" asked Saito, and this put the poor man into a new level of fear.

"I-I'm not very sure about this, I've only heard it once when our higher-ups were talking about it. But I heard that the main base is incredibly huge; And that there's something in that place that could be the key to Soujiro-sama's victory!" frantically shouted Baiko,

"And this base is located in…?" calmly asked Kenshin, feeling sorry for the man who was dead scared already because of Saito.

"I-it's in--" but before the man could finish, his neck was already broken.

A girl, about the age of sixteen, appeared from above a tree near them. She had used a small metal ball to break Baiko's neck. The girl was fair and had the skills to boot; to hit at such a distance required immense precision and a good amount of power in her wrists and fingers.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Soujiro-sama said that that guy was only allowed to reveal the smaller base and then it would be lights out. I really would've gotten into trouble if that dummy revealed where the main base was, you know." said the girl in a playful way.

"Wait! Who are you!?" asked Kenshin,

"Oh…my name's Kimie, see ya' Battousai-san" and she starts to head back into the forest,

"Oy! Not so fast little missy."

Sano suddenly shows up behind the girl and attempts to grab her, but she dodges and gives him a good kick to the gut, and Sano lands on the ground.

"Soujiro-sama also told me that you're the rowdy type roosterhead-san. As I was saying, see ya'." the girl gives them a wink and disappears into the trees.

"That girl, she ain't normal." said Sano as he stood up,

"Serves you right." stated Saito as he lit a cigarette.

"What was that!?" exclaimed Sano

"Sigh…at least now we have a new destination, the base in Okayama. It's pretty near here, we can make it there by this time tomorrow if we head there now." said Sano as he calmed down, seeing that it would be futile to try to match wits with this guy.

"Were you not listening to what that girl said? Soujiro Seta wanted us to know where that base was, it is obviously a part of his plan for us to march on there unprepared." said Saito.

"Regardless of that, it is our only lead. I suggest that we first regroup and then make our way to Okayama as soon as possible." interrupted Kenshin.

"_Soujiro, are you really…to eliminate your own followers…" _thought Kenshin,

And the three dashed off into the forest and headed back to Osaka.

* * *

Back in the Kanazawa base…

"_It looks like everything is going according to plan."_

"Hai, according to the message I received from Kimie-san, Himura-san and his group has been informed of the Okayama base, and is regrouping in Osaka."

"_It's about time we make our move Soujiro."_

"Hai, Shishio-sama."

* * *

Alright, we have a new character, her name's pronounced as Kimi-ye alright, not Kimy. The metal ball thing came from a movie I watched, and the idea of small metal balls as weapons amused me. Well, that's chapter 8, reviews are highly appreciated:D


	9. Infiltration

Well here's chapter 9, sorry for the long wait, my schedule has been pretty tight lately. I would like to thank those who reviewed, it really puts a smile on my face:D, but I can't answer those questions just yet, I think they're spoilers;). I decided that there's going to be a chapter that will answer all these questions(no, it's not Q&A chapter), so feel free to ask anything in your reviews or PM me if you like. Does anyone get what I'm saying here, well, I've stalled long enough, please enjoy chapter 9:D

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin...sigh

* * *

Chapter 9

One hundred-fifty trained soldiers, fully equipped with swords and guns, stood waiting for their command. It had been a week after Kenshin and the others learned about the Okayama base, they had made the necessary preparations and were ready to depart from Kurashiki.

"Umm…Saito-san, isn't this a bit too much?" said Kenshin,

"Good preparation is the key to victory." said Saito.

"But do you really need to bring cannons?"

"If it gives me the upper hand in a battle, then I don't see why it shouldn't be used."

"_But to bring ten?"_ thought Kenshin.

"Alright then, it's time we move out." commanded Saito to the soldiers.

* * *

"Gotta' hurry! Gotta' hurry!" said Kimie to herself,

"_The Okayama base is real small compared to the one on Kanazawa. They weren't supposed to be this many, Soujiro-sama said that… With their numbers…this could be bad, and from what I remember, we only have five cannons! I have to warn them, Kamatari-san…Kamatari-san was so nice to me…Oh why did that old squinty-eyes have to prepare so much!!" _thought Kimie.

Kimie had been watching Kenshin and the others' activities for the past week, and seeing what she saw, she was hurrying to Okayama to warn them of the coming assault. After about forty-five minutes, she arrived at her destination.

"Kamatari-san! Kamatari-san!" shouted Kimie,

"Oh, it's you Kimie-chan, what's with all the shouting?" said Kamatari.

"This is bad Kamatari-san, they're coming! And their numbers were a whole lot more than what we expected!" frantically said Kimie.

"Huh? What are you saying? Who's coming!?" worriedly asked Kamatari.

"Wh- didn't you know? The Battousai's coming, along with more than a hundred men and ten cannons!"

"H-how did they find out about this base!? Anyway, thanks for the heads up Kimie-chan, you really helped me out. Do you know how much time we have before they arrive?"

"I-in about an hour or so." replied Kimie, stuttering.

"Thanks again. Oy! Old man, we've got trouble!" said Kamatari, and was now talking with Saizuchi.

"_Why don't they know? Soujiro-sama…no, it can't be, something is definitely wrong here!" _thought Kimie.

* * *

"The Okayama base is only about one kilometer from here, and I've decided that it is best to divide into three groups." said Saito,

"Who the heck put you in charge!?" complained Sano.

"I did." and Saito gave Sano his death glare.

"Anyway I, along with most of my soldiers, shall attack first. We shall be assaulting from the north, which is also the main gate. Their forces shall gather there and then you Battousai, shall be going through the East along with a small group of my men. And then the rooster-head over there shall enter from the South." continued Saito,

"Hey wait! Why don't I get any backup!?" said Sano,

"Sigh…First of all, I have no obligation to give you support. And next is that you'll be coming from behind, so for stealth, there should be as few people as possible." said Saito who was getting irritated.

"Now then, we're here to collect information about the location their main base so please try to avoid any casualties." said Kenshin

"Hmph, we'll see." smugly said Saito and continued,

"Well in any case, that piece of information looks like it's classified and is only known by their higher-ranked officers. Our best bet is to capture the Juppongatana here and get the information out of them, and we should also head for the central office to recover any other vital pieces of information that could help us get a lead on their plans and strategies, so gather any important files you may see."

And then the three split up into their respective groups and headed for battle. Saito was first to arrive at the base. There was a tall concrete gate that blocked the entrance into the area.

"Aim all the cannons at one point, this wall is too strong for separate shots. Fire!" commanded Saito,

And the loud sound of firing echoed all throughout the area, and there was now a small opening through the gate. Saito and his men entered but the cannons were left behind, which were too large to bring in. And they soon met the enemy force.

"Well now, why isn't it everyone's favorite transvestite." said Saito.

"He, you really do have a way with words don't you." replied Kamatari.

There stood the two fighters, and behind them, their respective armies.

* * *

Kenshin was next to reach the base. And this part did not have a wall, but only a simple wooden barricade which was easily overcome. And the small group infiltrated the place and suddenly, a cannonball was headed straight for them. Kenshin and some of the men had dodged, but some were unable to move quickly enough.

"So you're the Battousai huh? I'll make sure to blow you to bits!" said one man behind a group of soldiers where five cannons were in their possession.

* * *

And Sano was the last to arrive; he had quickly jumped over the wall that stood before the south part of the base.

"Squinty-eyes was right, it looks like all the forces had gathered to the main gate, I'll get to the central office in no time. Tch! Looks like I won't be getting any action today." said Sano to himself.

Sano was already a third of the way to the center of the base when suddenly; he felt a blunt pain at his chest.

"This is as far as you go roosterhead-san."

And Kimie fired another metal ball, this time headed for Sano's head.

* * *

So that's the end of chapter 9, and it looks like there will will finally be a decent fight scene in the next chapter. Please feel free to leave a review, thanks:D

*If you take a look at a Japanese map, the locations I choose are actually pretty logical, meaning Kurashiki is really near Okayama and not at the othere end of Japan


	10. The Girl with Toys for Weapons

Chapter 10

It's finally chapter 10! I'm real sorry for the late update, been real busy lately, but not anymore cause I'm finally gonna graduate from high school tomorrow...okay. To Virgostargirl, thank you for your comment on how Kenshin is. I'm real sorry about that cause well, I haven't really read any fics that are centered on Kenshin(hope no one is offended) so I really wasn't familliar on how he spoke(although I did observe this on one soufic, but I thought it was just the writer's style^^) So I apologize if Kenshin may seem a little OOC, but I think changing now would seem kinda weird for me. Now there have been a few questions I've been receiving about the story, this will sound a little weird but, I hope that you continue to ask more questions so that the chapter that I'm dedicating to answer all the questions gets more content(I promise that you'll get what the heck I'm trying to say when this chapter comes). Alright, I think I've blabbered long enough, here's chapter 10. Enjoy^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin...or do I

* * *

Three battles were about to take place at the Okayama encampment.

A metal ball was flying towards Sano's head and at an incredible speed as well; getting hit would lead to more than a little concussion.

"THUMP"

Kimie didn't expect that sound, she was hoping for a "CRACK!" It turned out that Sano had caught the ball, and was now throwing a smirk at her.

"Nice try kid, now my day wouldn't have to be so boring anymore but I won't fall for your little trick for a second time." said Sano,

"Hmph! We'll see about that." replied Kimie.

Suddenly Kimie jumped and threw six balls towards Sano, you could see that her face showed a little discomfort when she threw these many balls. For the total mass had to weigh at least 30 kilograms, and the speeds and the trajectories were accurately calculated; all of them were headed for Sano's vital organs. But Sano dodged all the balls easily and even caught two of them and threw these back at Kimie. She was able to evade Sano's counterattack, but only barely; she had been taken a little aback for the fact that someone could completely avoid her attack, let alone even copy her technique for a counterattack.

"You're quite skilled despite you appearance roosterhead-san."

"Big words coming from a one trick pony." responded Sano.

"You'll be sorry you said that."

Kimie then took another two balls and launched them at Sano, but oddly, the balls' trajectory was completely off. Sano didn't even have to move to avoid the balls, and instead, the balls had headed for the ground with such a great force that it was able to bury itself in the ground.

"Hah! What's the matter kid!? First you couldn't hit me with six balls and now you only use two and you completely miss. Are you even trying to-" Sano was laughing at first, but abruptly stopped. A slight cut had appeared on his left cheek

"Heh! I'll show you who's a one trick pony"

And with this, Kimie launched two more balls headed for Sano, but these were much faster and were accurately aimed at Sano. Sano easily dodged this, but again he was cut, but now it was two deep wounds on his side and leg.

"Tch! What's your trick!?" exclaimed Sano,

"Baka! Why the hell would I tell you that!?" replied Kimie mockingly.

"Che! If you won't tell me then-"

Sano jumped from his position and headed for Kimie, who in turn launched one metal ball as a counterattack. But Sano evaded the attack but was cut again, however he still continued to charge towards Kimie.

"I don't know what your trick here is, but giving me a bunch of little cuts won't be enough to stop me, so get ready to- ack!"

Sano was an arms reach from Kimie when he noticed that she pulled her arm quickly to the back, also, this was the arm she used to throw the ball. Suddenly, the metal ball which he supposedly evaded hit his back with an immense power causing him to cease his attack. The force was strong enough for him to cough up some blood.

"Not so tough now are you?" said Kimie playfully as she backed away,

"_Tch! What's with this attack!? The moment she raised her arm the ball that she threw came flying back at me, why'd it come back?" _pondered Sano.

"Haha, you look like you're at your wits end. You must be wondering why that ball came back aren't cha'? I'll tell you one thing, it's no boomerang, hahaha!" said Kimie, while laughing at Sano's demise.

"You little brat! Of course I know that! What's with you and your little toys? Anyway, the circular shape of your weapon reminds me more of a yoyo, so just-" replied Sano angrily and then stopped,

"_Wait…of course! That would explain everything, from the cuts to the ball flying back at me. She's using strings, just like a yoyo!" _realized Sano

Seeing Sano's expression, Kimie was able to guess that he had figured out her weapon.

"Well well, looks like you've seen through my weapon. That right, those are my special balls in which I embedded a barely visible but strong metal wire in it, but you're too late roosterhead-san."

And within a split second, Kimie pulled both her arms back, and instantaneously, the four balls which she'd thrown beforehand launched themselves towards the back of Sano's head with tremendous power.

"CRACK!"

It was the sound Kimie had been waiting for; a clean shot, all the balls had reached its target. Sano was already lying on the floor when Kimie approached him.

"That's what happens when you underestimate me!" said Kimie as she squatted beside Sano.

"Yeah yeah…"

Kimie was shocked to see that Sano was still alive. She immediately backed away, and Sano began to stand up, rubbing the back of his head to ease the pain.

"Man that hurt!" complained Sano

"H-how are you still alive!?" angrily questioned Kimie,

"Heh, my head's been hit with stronger stuff than that.+"

"I'll get you with my next attack!"

And Kimie threw eight balls this time; but this was an unwise choice on her part. Due to the large number of balls, she wasn't able to put as much strength in launching them as she would have wanted. In addition, because of the lack in power, the balls also weren't that fast as her previous attacks, so Sano was able to catch all of them this time.

"I'm guessing that all of these are your so called specialty balls?" smugly said Sano,

Then he gave all the balls he had caught a quick but strong jerk, which caused Kimie to stutter a little, being pulled by the strings which were attached to the balls which in turn were tied to her gloves. By the time she was able to balance herself and look up; Sano was already in front of her. He then gave Kimie a good punch in the gut, which made her lose consciousness. But Sano caught her before she could fall towards the ground.

"I can be a little rough at times, but I can still be a gentleman." said Sano to himself.

"Hey! I bet you know where the other base is." said Sano.

But Sano knew that he was only talking to himself, he expected the girl to sleep for a few more hours from the punch she had just received. Much to his surprise when he saw Kimie was already half-awake.

"I'm impressed you're awake, but you won't be for long, that punch could knock a full- grown man asleep for a whole day."

Kimie then gave a slight chuckle.

"Now what's so funny kid?" said Sano, puzzled by Kimie's reaction,

"I'm laughing that I have to go this low to escape."

Kimie then pushed her head upwards to hit Sano's chin so hard that Sano stammered from this. Then Kimie threw a smoke bomb and made her escape. By the time Sano could see, Kimie was already gone.

"THAT BRAATT!!!!! Forget squinty-eyes' documents, I'll get that brat and beat the information out of her!" exclaimed Sano, and then he ran in search for his prey.

* * *

+ remember the time during their battle with Shishio, where it looked like Sano's skull cracked after being punched by Shishio in the forehead

This chapter was originally supposed to cover all three battles, but then it seemed to be a little too long. And another thing, using the word "ball" over and over again is kinda weird and annoying don't you think, I think I won't use those anymore^^ Oh well, hope you liked it, reviews shall be highly appreciated.


	11. Encounter

I'm really sorry for the late update, summer vacation has made me lazy. To shouren, Kimie's weapon is like a...imagine a little metal ball, someting that could fit in between you fingers, and there a thin transparent wire embedded in it that connects to a glove. Also I'm glad some people have taken an interest to her, if all goes well, you'll get to know a lot more about her in the next chapter and maybe in the future as well^^

*For those who read it before I could update, I made a mistake in the last chapter, it should have been =_Three battles were about to take place at the __**Okayama**__ encampment._ Not Kanazawa, well that's about it. Enjoy:D

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, alright?

* * *

The battle rages on.

Kenshin scans the aftermath of his enemies' first attack; to his relief, none seem to be mortally wounded.

"Heh! Nimble little bastard, make sure you hit him this time!" angrily commanded the enemy leader to his men.

Kenshin gave them a calm yet fierce glare. Then he called for his allies' attention.

"Please stand back, I will handle this."

And then Kenshin quickly dashed towards the enemy. When he was already only a couple of meters from them, the enemies' cannons fired one after another. Instead of avoiding them, he pulled out his sakabato and slashed through the cannonballs+; some he cut in half, and some he hit with the hilt of his sword in order to alter its trajectory. He did this because if he simply dodged the cannonballs, his allies behind him would be in danger. But he did not accomplish this feat unscathed, some of the cannonballs exploded upon impact with Kenshin's sword. Thankfully, the damage he received seemed to be minimal. Now unfortunately for the enemy, although highly destructive, cannons are quite inefficient; it takes a while to prepare the next shot and they simply had no time to do this, seeing Kenshin approach them with tremendous speed.

"Tch! Forget these cannons, bring out your guns and shoot him down!" ordered the enemy leader.

But even before anyone could fire a single bullet, they'd already be knocked out by Kenshin. One by one, the enemy force fell, until not one was left standing. When the fight was over, Kenshin signaled one of his allies to approach him.

"Please tell those who are uninjured to subdue these men and to tend to the wounded. I shall continue to the central office."

And with that, Kenshin alone proceeded, deeper into the heart of the enemy base.

* * *

Kimie walked droopily down one the hallways of the base; she looked like she was ready to lose consciousness at any moment. Yet she walked on until she reached a room with what seemed to have a staircase going underground, it was a secret passageway used to enter and exit the base. But before she could reach the staircase, her legs gave out and she collapsed. Using the last bit of her strength, she crawled to the side of the room and was able to rest her back on the wall.

"I guess I should've been more careful of that rooster-head. At this rate, I'll really be out cold for a while." murmured Kimie to herself as she battled for her consciousness.

Then she saw a shadow appear from the staircase, and soon, a person emerged into the room.

"S-soujiro-sama…" weakly said Kimie,

Soujiro briefly looked at her, dull blue eyes full of apathy, and then he moved on forward like he hadn't seen her. Tears began to well in Kimie's eyes.

"_I'm useless."_ she thought to herself, and then finally slipped into unconsciousness, knowing that, most likely, she'll never see the person she idolized and loved the most ever again.

* * *

Kenshin was already deep into the main building when he reached a room which was quite spacious. Then he heard footsteps coming from one of the hallways which led into the room. He quickly put his guard up and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. It was Soujiro who came into the room.

"Soujiro!?" said Kenshin.

"It has been a long time Himura-san." responded Soujiro with his usual pasted-on smile.

"Soujiro, tell me; are you really the one who is resurrecting Shishio's army?" asked Kenshin.

"Well, you could say that." replied Soujiro.

"And what are your plans?"

"Pretty much what Shishio-sama had in mind." answered Soujiro. Then Kenshin gave Soujiro a gaze of utter sadness and disappointment.

"I thought you would have changed for the better Soujiro. Are you really just evil deep inside? You're not Shishio's puppet anymore, but why have you decided to do this?" melancholy said Kenshin.

Soujiro thought how ironic Kenshin's last remark was, so much so that he began to laugh.

"Really Himura-san, your words are really amusing, but then again, you wouldn't understand." said Soujiro, in such a manner which was like he had heard a good joke.

Kenshin was deeply puzzled by the Soujiro's response; the boy was truly acting strange. Then he noticed that Soujiro had stopped laughing. Kenshin observed that Soujiro had closed his eyes, his smile had dropped, and Kenshin could swear he could feel that the boy's presence was disappearing even though he could see him still standing in front of him. Then Soujiro opened his eyes, but they were black, not the blue the boy normally should have had.

"What the!?" Kenshin suddenly felt this immense dark aura which replaced Soujiro's, this aura was full of deep hatred and malice.

"Battousai, seeing you in your current condition has made me a little disappointed. Your fighting spirit is not as strong as it used to be." said Soujiro, with a totally different feel to it.

"What-who are you?" this was all Kenshin could think of saying in his confusion.

"Why, I am Seta Soujiro." replied Soujiro.

However you really couldn't say this was Soujiro; after all, we all know who is really the one talking here. But Kenshin didn't know this, no one did.

"In your state now, you couldn't possibly defeat me. Very well, I shall put off our battle for another time, but you had best be prepared. For now, I suggest you concern yourself on how to leave this place before it collapses. I do hope that you are really not so pathetic that you would die from this little incident." said Soujiro.

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, Kenshin felt the ground rumble a little, and then more violently, until it felt like his very core was being shaken. Kenshin figured it was an earthquake, and a tremendous one at that. Is this what Soujiro meant, but how could have Soujiro known that there'd be one. So maybe, just maybe this wasn't an earthquake, thought Kenshin. By the looks of it, it looks like it was all planned.

"Y-you set up explosives in the whole base!?" exclaimed Kenshin

Soujiro only gave him a malicious evil grin, a weird expression Kenshin never saw on him before. All of a sudden, part of the ceiling began falling, right in between the two occupants of the room. Kenshin moved back in order to avoid the falling debris, which also caused a lot of dirt to accumulate in the air. By the time this had all cleared up, Soujiro was already gone and Kenshin had no choice but to vacate the area.

"_Dammit Soujiro! At this rate, you'll also be putting your own men's lives in danger if anyone's still inside, have you already become that much of a cold-blooded tyrant!?" _angrily thought Kenshin, as he dashed to escape this death trap, retracing his steps to get to the only exit he knew of.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sano was having a dilemma of his own. In his desire to capture Kimie, he had aimlessly wondered about the base and had gotten himself lost; and to add to his predicament, the building, out of the blue, suddenly began to collapse.

"What a heck of a good time to have an earthquake! Thanks Mother Nature!" Sano shouted in the air, rushing through the halls in search for an exit.

As Sano passed through the hallway, something in one of the rooms along the path suddenly caught his eye. When he jogged back, he saw that it was the person whom he was hunting for. He saw that Kimie had lost consciousness and was now lying helplessly on the floor. But then, without warning, a large piece of the ceiling chipped off+ and the huge mass was directly headed for Kimie. Without thinking of his own safety, Sano dashed towards her.

"Futae no Kiwami!"

And with this, the huge boulder turned into numerous pieces of pebbles. Sano looked at Kimie and picked her up.

"You better be grateful you little brat." said Sano,

"_Now, how the hell do I get outta' here!?" _thought Sano,

It was at that moment when Sano observed the staircase in the room.

"_This was probably what this girl was aiming for, most likely some sort of hidden passageway… but it could be dangerous to take this route having this earthquake and all. I could probably punch my way through these walls until I get to the outside, or it could end up further weakening the structure and having the building collapsing, resulting in me dying instantly…" _Sano was thinking hard on what he should do next,

"To hell with this! Sagara Sanosuke is known as the man who takes chances!" suddenly declared Sano.

And with that, Sano headed down the staircase; and in his arms, his enemy lay sleeping.

* * *

A few minutes later, the whole building had collapsed; the Okayama base was now in ruins. Thankfully, both Kenshin and Sano had made it out in time, and when they arrived at northern part of the former base, their designated meeting place, they could see Saito ordering something to his men whilst pointing at the now tied-up enemies. Sano put Kimie down and asked one of the soldiers to care for her, but not forgetting to remind that the girl was also a dangerous enemy.

"Well, looks like we're finished here," tiredly said Sano, stretching his arms.

"Don't be so lax, first of all, did you accomplish your task in getting information about Soujiro Seta's plans, or the location of the other base?" sternly questioned Saito,

"Tch, about that…"

"I apologize, but I was also unable to gain any useful information." interrupted Kenshin, fearing another fight might break loose.

"How bout' you squinty-eyes!? I don't see you doing anything about this?" said Sano with a hint of irritation.

"Hmph, I had already questioned all of those who've been captured, including Honjo Kamatari of the Juppongatana; yet none of them seem to know of another base or what's going on exactly. They shall be questioned further once they reach headquarters." stated Saito.

"I did meet Soujiro Seta while in the base." said Kenshin

"Really!?" said Sano with utter surprise,

"Well, did he say anything that could prove useful?" asked Saito,

"Sadly, no." replied Kenshin

"Also he disappeared right after the building started to-" continued Kenshin but was interrupted by Sano.

"Che! If it wasn't for that damn earthquake!" angrily said Sano,

Saito started to smoke a cigarette, and they were about to head back to Kurashiki when Sano suddenly realized something.

"Hey! You remember that girl we met back in Kobe, Kimie was it? She seemed to know where the other base was right?" excitedly said Sano,

"Where are you driving at?" said Saito,

"Well, I was able to capture her. She's unconscious right now so I let squinty-eyes' men handle her. We can get the information out of her once she wakes up." proudly said Sano,

It seemed that the trio had now finally found their lead, but something was still bothering Kenshin.

"_So it really was an earthquake…but how could Soujiro know that it was going to happen? Something is wrong, and why was he acting so oddly…" _pondered Kenshin.

They soon found out that no other place experienced the earthquake, not in the slightest. Not even in Kurashiki which was quite near to Okayama. Was it just mere coincidence that an earthquake happened to hit this base on that day, and only this base?

* * *

+ this was possible because these cannonballs were not made of metal, it's like a thick paper ball with gunpowder inside, or something like that :P

+in this building, the ceiling is mostly made of stone, so it wasn't wood that was falling

*just to be clear, this base also has a house-like structure in it similar to the one in Kanazawa, it's not like the usual military camp where there's only tents.


	12. Greetings and Farewells

Its been such a long time since I last updated, and finally here's chapter 12!:D Now I know some will really hate me for this, but this is a chapter for Kimie. But I promise the next one will definitely be all about Soujiro, but I really think you guys will enjoy this one. Moving on, please enjoy this chapter:D

* * *

Chapter 12

"_Mama…Papa…"_

_A girl amidst a pool of blood, with dark forms cornering her,_

"_That'll teach that no-good officer to never mess with me." said one of the shadows._

"_Look here, that must be his kid, we better put it out of its misery." maliciously said another one._

"_Come here little g—"_

_As the man approached the child, he suddenly found himself without an arm._

"_Wh- what the hell!! Who's there?!"_

_A blue figure suddenly appeared before the pack of shadows, the girl now being shielded by him. He then looked up and said,_

"_I'll give you a chance, change your ways now, and I'll let you live." with a smile never faltering._

"_What's with this nut job? Kill im'!" _

_The blue figure sighed, unsheathed his weapon, and prepared to battle the oncoming enemies._

"_It seems that you all are too much of a menace to the innocent."_

_Now the girl, though in a state of shock, was still fully aware of what was happening. And even if she was now witnessing a feat of killing, she could not help but be amazed at how beautiful it looked. She thought how graceful and elegant the blue figure moved, and smiling angelically all the while. This scene only lasted a couple of seconds, but she was completely awestricken. The blue figure approached her._

"_I'm sorry…it seems I came too late." he said whilst looking at the girl's parents with melancholy._

"_Wh-who are you?" was all the girl could say, wondering if she had just been saved by an angel,_

"_My name is Seta Soujiro."_

…………………………………………_._

"Soujiro-sama…"

Kimie found herself waking up on a hospital bed, when she tried to get up; she suddenly feels a sharp pain in her middle, which revealed to be already bandaged up. The door in front of her then began to open, she wanted to get into a crouching position, but found it too hard to move.

"It seems you've awakened, please, there's no need for alarm. We mean you no harm."

"B-battousai?! What's the meaning of this?" questioned Kimie.

"Sano-san had found you lying unconscious, he brought you out, and as you can see…" replied Kenshin,

"EHH? Really? Rooster-head saved me?" dumbfounded said Kimie, pointing at herself.

"Well I know Sano-san can be a little rough but--" said Kenshin when he was suddenly interrupted by Sano who had entered the room.

"Che! Alright already, how was I supposed to know that brat was so frail?"

"Hmph! Look who's talking bandage head!" responded Kimie, pointing at Sano's bandaged forehead, a sign that her attack did cause quite some damage.

"Oy oy… try to show a little gratefulness you little squirt." said Sano, restraining himself.

"Sigh… so I guess now you guys are gonna' try to beat out as much information out of me." resignedly said Kimie.

"Oh you bet we a--"said Sano until he was cut off by Kenshin.

"Sano-san, if you will, I'll handle this." calmly said Kenshin.

"Tsk! Well whatever." and with that, Sano exited the room.

"Try all you want Battousai, but I'll never betray Soujiro-sama." said Kimie, preparing herself for the worst.

Kenshin only gave her a smile. Kimie could not help but compare Kenshin's smile with Soujiro's smile she had come to miss. A couple of years ago, this was how Soujiro smiled: so warm, someone who you could trust your life with. Now, although still as beautiful, there was a certain coldness and mystery to his smile, like you could never understand what he was truly thinking.

"Now now…Kimie-chan, was it?" said Kenshin, recalling the girl's name.

"Geez, I'm fifteen years old and aren't you being awfully familiar Battousai?" irritatedly responded Kimie

"You do know I have another name don't you? My name's Himura Kenshin, you can call me Kenshin if you'd like Kimie-chan."

"_Why is this person being so friendly with me? I'm his enemy for Pete's sake!"_ thought Kimie,

"Hmph! I'll stick with Himura-san then."

"Glad that we're getting along."

"We'll see…" stubbornly said Kimie

"Well then Kimie-chan, how about you tell me a little about yourself first." said Kenshin in a very friendly manner.

"Pss…not much to tell really, I'm just some girl who Soujiro-sama was kind enough to let me serve him." hastily said Kimie, but Kenshin could sense the melancholy in her voice.

"I believe you're holding back Kimie-chan. Why don't you tell me how you became a follower of Soujiro then?" said Kenshin, trying to carry on the conversation.

"_Hmm, this doesn't seem like an interrogation to me. Is this person actually trying to be nice to me? Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt answering his question, it wouldn't be betraying Soujiro-sama. Fine then."_ thought Kimie as she decided that she would answer Kenshin's question.

"Soujiro-sama saved my life three years ago. A group of thugs attacked my family, yup, a real classic. When I was the only one left alive, Soujiro-sama came and saved me." sadly said Kimie.

"I'm really sorry about that Kimie-chan."

"Hmph! Don't feel sorry for me, I was able to become much stronger after all." said Kimie, feeling uneasy for the sympathy she was receiving.

"What happened to you after that then?" asked Kenshin.

"_What's with this guy? Does he really plan on listening to my life story? Well, beats being forced to say anything that can harm Soujiro-sama."_ pondered Kimie.

"Well let's see, I followed Soujiro-sama after that. Even though he didn't want that I followed him, saying that it was dangerous to do so, he never raised his hand against me. He was so kind, he put up with some annoying brat tailing after him, any other person would have left me behind, I just didn't want to leave his side even though I knew I was being a burden. And after a month, I said to Soujiro-sama that I wished to learn how to fight so I wouldn't be a burden anymore and that I would be able to help him, ah…how ignorant I was. Of course he said no, he said that children should be the ones being protected and not be the ones to be made to fight. But after that, he dropped me off at some temple and then introduced me to my sensei. He said that this person was a friend and would take care of me, and that if I really wanted to learn how to fight, this person would also be able to teach me very well. I was very reluctant to leave Soujiro-sama's side, I was such a child. Then Soujiro-sama promised me that he would come back one day when the time was right, for now, he had something that he must do. Only then did I start to calm down. I'll never forget what Soujiro-sama told me before he left: Kimie-chan, if you truly want to learn the way of the sword, keep this in mind, those who wield a sword, must be prepared to die by the sword. I worked hard under my sensei, I trained every day, hoping for the day Soujiro-sama would come back, I must've broken each of my fingers at least five times trying to master my weapon. And finally, after three years, Soujiro-sama came back and I became his follower. After that, he made me a messenger between the bases and sometimes an executioner of certain traitors. I was so happy that I could finally be of service to Soujiro-sama, but now look at me."

Kimie paused, catching her breath. She glanced at Kenshin and he saw that she was holding back her tears. This girl had lost everything and only has her reverence to the man who had saved her life, and she has decided to commit herself in her entirety to him.

"God I'm so useless! Please Himura-san, just execute me or something, I can't bear sinking lower than I am right now. I'd rather die than be a traitor to Soujiro-sama!" and Kimie didn't continue any longer, for she could not hold herself anymore, and started to cry.

Kenshin knew that Kimie was serious; he feared that she might actually choose to end her life rather than facing an interrogation. Kenshin gently placed his hand on Kimie's shoulder,

"Kimie-chan, I understand. I don't know what will happen to you from now on, but I promise I'll try to help you as much as I can. Hopefully I can convince Saito-san to postpone your interrogation, I'll try my best, okay?" said Kenshin, trying to console Kimie, all the while thinking how much this girl has gone through.

"Why? Why are you showing concern to your enemy?" asked Kimie.

"Because you deserve it." said Kenshin and patted Kimie's head, this made Kimie blush a little.

"A-arigato." shyly said Kimie, and couldn't help but smile.

* * *

That night, Kimie was sleeping soundly when a darkly clothed figure approached by her bed side.

"Kimie-chan…Kimie-chan, wake up." said the figure, shaking Kimie playfully.

"Huh?" sleepily responded Kimie, she now had her guard down, she felt like she was in a safe place…or so she thought.

* * *

The following morning, Kenshin and Sano were in complete and utter shock. Kimie's bed was dripping wet, wet with her own blood, someone had broken in last night and now Kimie lay there, dead. The only thought that consoled them was that she did not have to suffer very long, one quick stab to her chest, and she was gone. Her face showed no signs of resistance or terror, it was a solemn look, like she accepted her death whole-heartedly. To die so young…

"Kenshin, I think you should take a look at this." said Sano, handing over a note to Kenshin.

"I found it by the bedside table. Well, I guess I better report this to old squinty-eyes." continued Sano, he tried to hide it, but he truly felt sad for what had just happened. He then left the room.

Silently, Kenshin read the note.

The note read: _It seems one of my subordinates had been a bother to you, I deeply apologize for that. As you can see, I've arranged for that to be taken care of.--- Seta Soujiro_

Sadly, Kenshin put the note away.

"Soujiro, is there really no hope for you?"

* * *

"Soujiro-sama, I've taken care of Kimie Ashikaga as you've instructed me to."

"Is that so? Very well, you are dismissed." absent-mindly said Soujiro.

"Hai."

Presently, Shishio was not in Soujiro's mind. Soujiro had gained enough of his trust to be given back a little control over his psyche. He used this time for reflecting, what he was doing, what was happening, anything that would keep him sane. Sometimes he thought critically, and sometimes he thought about the lighter stuff. On this particular day, he decided to reminisce about his life. He darted back and forth to his days serving Shishio, to his brief days as a wanderer, and finally what has happened up to the recent months.

Then, he smiled.

* * *

So that's chapter 12, and now we bid goodbye to Kimie. Oh and by the way, the one who killed Kimie is just some random assasin, no need to think about it too much.


	13. Reflecting on the Past

Damn it's been a while since I've been on fanfiction…So I recently uncovered this unpublished chapter when I was cleaning out my old files. Well here it is, I can't believe this was just here unpublished for more than two years. So I'm thinking of continuing this story, with semestral break coming and all…If I do ever decide to continue, you'll probably notice changes in my writing style…anyways, here's chapter 13

Btw, for those who were expecting/hoping for any plot development…please don't kill me, and sorry for the cheesy title

* * *

Chapter 13: Reflecting on the Past – Into the Thoughts of Soujiro Seta

It seems that Kimie is gone now, as one of my henchmen reports it to me. I'm sorry that I couldn't save her…but it had to be done, otherwise, Shishio-sama would doubt me again…I'm tired, but it's nice to have my thoughts drift away like this, because right now, I have my mind all to myself. I really don't know where Shishio-sama goes to when he leaves my mind, but why should I care, why do I even call him Shishio-**sama**, after all this…

Back when he supposedly died, I was so confused, I didn't know what to do, I was seeing a new part of the world for the first time. But it wasn't so bad, it was nice being a rurouni, being free and away from the world where one wrong move could mean your death. My only problem was dodging those who wanted me dead, but I was used to that, being the former right-hand of the man who wanted to conquer Japan and all. It was a year later when I met Kimie. It's sad that I didn't make it in time to save her parents, if I had arrived earlier she could have had a normal life. She wouldn't have had to be thrown into this world of blood, and she could still be alive right now…She's only been this army's messenger for four months, I really loathe Shishio-sama's ability to pry into my memories. Why did he have to see her? Perhaps he saw how devoted she was? She was similar to how Kamatari-san was to Shishio-sama, and maybe that's why he knew that he could use her…

Looking back now, I remember the time when Shishio-sama came back. It was just supposed to be a quiet night in the forest…but I guess hell decided to come crashing down on me. I was confused, terrified, and ecstatic all at the same time, I didn't know how to react towards Shishio-sama's return. Well, once Shishio-sama told me that he was the new god of hell, that's when I gave up trying to understand the situation and just go along with whatever the man was saying. But then Shishio-sama revealed his true agenda, and I definitely could not agree to that. I really should've known better, Shishio-sama would never take no for an answer, and my attempt to retaliate ended horribly. The sensation of having my mind taken over was unlike any other, it was so immensely agonizing and at the same time I felt numb. It was like someone thrust hundreds of blades right through my head, and to add to this, I didn't, or rather couldn't lose my consciousness throughout the entire ordeal. How I wanted to just die during that moment…

I thought that that night would have had to be the worst memory I'd have lived through, even worse than that fateful night fourteen years ago. But Shishio-sama had more in store for me. He didn't like the person whom I'd become, he wanted the smiling puppet-assassin he had created and used for ten years. And he knew just how to push me back to the brink of insanity I'd recovered from, but now I find myself in its presence again. It was a simple process actually, he simply decided to repeat history. Just a simple case of recreating the night I had become who I am and will always be, the Tenken.

It's quite funny, now that I think about it, why I cared about Kimie, she was just a mere pawn. A weakling, in fact, why the hell did I even care for the weak in the first place….but, Himura-san said that it was the duty of the strong to defend the weak…..although Himura-san is quite the fool, to tell me that I was no longer Shishio's puppet, well I have become just that, how could I have lost to such a man….but it was also this man that allowed me to become a **person** and not just a tool…then again…

…...

Did I just argue with myself? Amusing, it seems I'm losing my mind. But really, have I ever been sane? I admit that my days as a rurouni were the most ecstatic, but also the most unstable my mind has ever been, I didn't know how to understand my different emotions. But the ten years I spent as the right-hand man of Shishio-sama, although bland and unchanging, were the days I was most comfortable and settled in my mind. However, I don't think I can ever go back into that state even if I wanted to, too much has happened since then. But it seems that my state of mind is just quite close to this state…how do I say this…Although Shishio-sama is controlling me, I wouldn't say that I am acting against my will….I guess I'm just wasting my time, it's useless to understand my state of mind, my sanity has always been questionable after all.

I wonder when Shishio-sama will be coming back? Actually, I've always wondered why Shishio-sama just doesn't possess Himura-san then kill him, it would make things a whole lot easier. I understand that my position as his former right-hand man is the best choice to take back control of his army and fulfill his ambition to overthrow the Meiji government. But why doesn't he just, for a while, possess a person near Himura-san, if he really wants to have a rematch with him, instead of making things drag on like this…Wait, now I remember, on that night he first showed himself four years after he had died, he mentioned that he could choose only one host. What could his other limits be then? He did say once that if he sustained enough damage he would be forced to go back to Hell…then I wonder if…oh, it seems Shishio-sama is about to return. I can feel his presence, he seems excited somehow, I wonder what will happen now.


End file.
